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metalsmithing

This year I won't be dressing up for Halloween because I'm a new mom and will be focusing my costume efforts on my 4-month-old daughter. However, I like to be festive and celebrate the season, so I want to wear a little boom boom to show I'm keeping with the spirit of things. Adjusting to...

For many of us, learning how to string beads was the "gateway" that led us to learning about other ways to make beaded jewelry. Bead stringing is a fabulous introduction to the soothing nature of bead work and jewelry making. But bead stringing is so much more than just putting a bunch of beads...

I hope everyone who is reading this is having a beautiful Christmas morning! Here in upstate New York, it will be cold, and it might snow, if we're lucky. And if you're lucky, you or someone you love might have been treated to a few new beading tools for learning how to bead and make jewelry...

I can honestly say that I have yet to meet a bracelet making project that I didn't love. Beaded bracelets are what I go to when I need to get out of a creative funk, or to recharge my beading batteries. Very often, I find inspiration for new necklace making projects by making a new beaded bracelet...

As I go further into my daily practice of yoga and meditation, I'm learning more about the ancient beliefs surrounding the physical and spiritual aspects of the poses. I'm particularly interested in the chakras, or energy centers, that are believed to exist in certain key areas of the body. There...

Back in March, I made my first-ever chain maille jewelry project from a free set of project instructions here on Beading Daily . I was a little nervous when I set out to try it, since wire work has never been my strength in jewelry-making, and I was more than a little intimidated by the thought of opening...

A hallmark of the steampunk jewelry style is the use of metals, whether it's a romantic filigree, textured metal stamping, metal findings, or metal chain. The use of metals in steampunk jewelry is a nod to the industrial age, when art, romance, and invention all met at a crossroads in history. It...

This Wednesday, I had a lot on my beading table, but the two pieces that I wanted to share with you were a couple of beaded necklaces that I created using this month's vintage treasures from the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club through A Grain of Sand. I had a lot of fun using the sea urchin spines in...

The Tucson bead shows are always a blast. A nd this year was no exception. I attended the To Bead True Blue show, the Best Bead show, and the Whole Bead show--a mere sampling of the dozens of bead, gem, and fossil shows that occur every year at this time. I go to the Tucson shows for two main reasons...

Beaded chains are very symbolic to me. Tonight is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year here in the northern hemisphere. Years ago when I was a writer of poetry and short fiction, I would always celebrate the winter solstice by lighting a few candles, making a special meal, and having a...

A sampling of the earrings I made during my self-imposed creative challenge: create a pair of earrings every day for an entire month! I don't often wear earrings. Part of that comes from a habit I got into after my son was born - it's just not good to wear long, dangling earrings in front of...

Human beings have prized gemstones for hundreds of years. In addition to their natural beauty, gemstones have also been coveted for their perceived mystic powers. Gemstones are believed to help heal, bring good luck and fortune, and enhance the abilities of those who wear and carry them. Even if you...

Asymmetrical Earrings by Bob Ebendorf I was digging through one of my earring boxes the other day, looking for the perfect set of pearl earrings to wear with a fancy outfit. I ran into a lovely pair I received as a gift from my friend Bob Ebendorf. He made them about eighteen years ago, and they still...

Burn, Baby, Burn In one of my many exciting past artistic lives, I was a raku artist. I created pottery and fired it in a huge raku kiln in my backyard. My fascination with fire, the elements and the drastically varying glaze “surprises” always left me wanting more, itching to do it again...

To-do for you– Like many of you out there, my to-do list is very long and complicated. So much so, actually, that I’ll admit I have a second to-do list that prioritizes the first to-do list. And like Pavlov’s dog, when I cross something off the short list, I drool a little, knowing...